Today is Day #39 in Counting the Omer. In his paper on the significance of
39 in Scripture, Dr. Hillel ben David writes this:
"The significance of thirty-nine is that it is associated with purification from an undesirable state and the emergence of a new entity."
While we cannot cover in depth the many interesting correlations he mentioned for
"39" in the Bible, these few points stood out:
40 lashes is the maximum punishment in Moses' Law because anything more was considered to be degrading. This concept is evidenced again in the New Testament when Paul received only
39 stripes:
"Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one."
~ 2 Corinthians 11:24
Another interesting scriptural observations uncovered, while doing the research for
#39 in scripture was that
Jesus hung on the cross from the
3rd
hour to the
9th
hour (
3-9
).
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
~ Galatians 3:13 (KJV)
Thus, in scripture,
39
indicates a CURSED state.
The Book of Daniel (Daniel 9) shows us the need to REPENT both personally and corporately as a nation. While we at The National Day of Repentance have seen some encouraging signs of individual repentance, there still seems to be a very limited recognition of our need for National Corporate repentance and the incredible significance thereof.
In a 2018 speech at the UN by President Trump, one could not help but shudder to think about our inability to accurately assess ourselves as a nation. During his U.N. speech, President Trump specifically called out three "rogue nations": North Korea, Syria and Iran. Allow me to juxtapose President Trump's words against recent American news articles.
On North Korea:
"It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of [its own citizens]."
Oregon Senate Passes Bill to Allow Euthanasia by Starvation
On Syria:
"the actions of the criminal regime [of Syria/Assaad] including the use of chemical weapons against his [their] own citizens, even innocent children, shock the conscience of every decent person."
Chemical Abortions on the Rise in U.S.
On Iraq:
"reckless regime - one who speaks openly of mass murder."
Planned Parenthood Reports Banner Year
And "has turned a wealthy country into an economically depleted rogue state"
Trump Raises Debt Ceiling as National Debt Soars to $20 Trillion
"whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos"
Planned Parenthood Kills 1 Million Babies in Global Outreach
"the longest suffering victims...are in fact its own people."
U.S. Abortion Clock Reaches 62 Million
America appears to have a PLANK in its collective eye that is blocking the ability to REPENT!
In scripture Peter denied Christ 3 times. In the previous two years before his U.N. speech, the GOP failed 3 times to defund Planned Parenthood when they had ALL the power to do so...three God-given opportunities to REPENT. Keep in mind all three of these refusals to defund Planned Parenthood occurred AFTER the gruesome videos exposing the utter brutality, illegality and evil slaughter of innocents beyond the moral comprehension of any sense of decency. Those videos made the Nazis look like amateurs in the proliferation of evil. Yet this is what the GOP did when it had the chance to REPENT by defunding Planned Parenthood:
1) The Republicans didn't want to ruin their chances in the next election cycle:
GOP Ryan says "politically unrealistic" to defund Planned Parenthood
2) The Republicans didn't want to risk upsetting voters with a government shutdown during budget time:
Planned Parenthood Funded in Budget Deal
3) Republican Senator John McCain kills defund Obamacare bill with deciding vote:
Senate Gasps Aloud as McCain Votes "No" on Defunding Obamacare
Like Peter blustering and boasting that he would never desert Christ, our talk is cheap. Even after Peter repented, Jesus told Peter he would be bound up by others and forced to go with them.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.
~ John 21:18
Has America repented since these gruesome undercover videos became public? Many of those who identify as "Christian" have lost interest in these horrifying Planned Parenthood videos and are not even following the case anymore. Most have gone back to their TV shows and banal activities which bear no fruit for the Kingdom. Few realize that Christian warrior David Daleiden was convicted in a civil trial on November 16th, 2019. He was ordered to pay $870,000 in punitive damages to Planned Parenthood. Now he faces CRIMINAL CHARGES! On February 21st, 2020, he was arraigned on NINE FELONY counts. If David Daleiden goes to prison, WE may soon join him...It's time to WAKE UP CHURCH! Thankfully, Jesus told us this would also give us a great opportunity for witness and testimony to the world!
But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. ~ Luke 21: 12-13
After WWII, the Nuremberg Trials publicly tried and convicted those who participated in brutality against humanity. Today, we would fine and imprison those who photographed and exposed Hitler's Death Camps!
Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
~Ecclesiastes 3:16
Try to wrap your brain around this chilling statistic: Israel now aborts 9% of all pregnancies in their country. Abortion has been legal in Israel since 1977. The Israeli government PAYS for these publicly funded abortions. At the current rate of abortions in Israel...how long before the State of Israel may kill more Jews than the Nazis did? Shudders.
Sadly, in April 2020, President Trump uttered The Harbinger curse of Isaiah 9:10. Instead of calling for National Repentance in light of the COVID-19 plague, he instead vowed "we will rebuild" and we will be "just as strong" and "stronger than before."
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
And so, unless we REPENT, we will soon walk the same pathway as Peter, the pathway of sorrows. Those who remain clueless to the depth of their own sin both personally and nationally, those with a false sense of self-righteousness, will face destruction.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Nathan came to King David and told him a story about a rich man who kills someone else's beloved sheep. It was a tragic story about the evil of an extremely blessed person who slaughtered innocent life while trying to selfishly preserve his own. Nathan was figuratively looking for an answer to this question:
What should be done with such a man?
King David was furious. Tell me: who this man is so that he can be punished! Like King David, we may want to see ISIS, North Korea, and Iran bombed into smithereens. We are self-righteously indignant about radical regimes. We want JUSTICE right now! They must be made to PAY!
King David said to Nathan,
"As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!"
~ 2 Samuel 12:6
The next words of the prophet must have been a bone-chilling revelation to David:
YOU ARE THAT MAN!
Let us recognize this fact: In terms of numbers and the defenselessness and helplessness of our victims, democracies have slaughtered more innocents than Nazis, ISIS and rogue regimes combined. So, let's remove the plank from our own eye so we can see clearly to assist the rest of the world.
"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
~ Matthew 7:5
Let's repent of our own horrific national sins, THEN and only then will we have the moral authority to confront evil worldwide. We haven't had an officially declared National Day of Repentance in the United States since 1918, 102 years ago!
We must REPENT and return to a nation ruled by God Almighty under His eternal laws.
I will end with another quote of President Trump's U.N. speech:
"it is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that [evil governments and leaders] end [the] pursuit of death and destruction."
Amen...so be it, Mr. Trump. So be it. Like former Presidents, call on God's solution to do it.
